I Am Irken
by Katsumi Amaya
Summary: During music class, the teacher makes Zim sing. Dib is amazed. Oneshot ZaDr.


Music class. What a stupid idea! The School Overlord had decided that the students of Skool needed to do something creative in their lives, but since music class was cheaper than art class... here we are.

"Okay, kids!" The teacher, female and about 25, was half-stoned and way too happy. "Today, we're going to sing!" She was wearing bell bottom jeans and a t-shirt with a large yellow peace sign that was also a smiley face. Did I mention she was kind of a hippy?

Dib and Zim, both age fourteen, were standing in a back corner trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"I hate this class." Dib muttered. Whether he was talking to Zim or himself was unknown, but Zim answered anyway.

"Zim hates this class as well, Diblet." He said as he reached up to adjust his wig. His antenna refused to stay down today, and his wig kept shifting to one side. It was annoying as hell.

Oh yeah. The 'Diblet' thing. Well you see, after quite a few years of Zim and Dib trying to rip each others throats out, they realized that they did in fact have a few things in common. For one, they both hated the Skool and the other idiot students within it. And the teachers. And the School Overlord, for making them take this ridiculous class. Thus, over time, the names they used to hurl at each other with venom became pet names, if you will.

The hippy music teacher danced over to Dib and Zim's back corner. "You, child." She took Zim's clawed hand. "Would you like to sing?"

Zim jerked his hand away. "ZIM DOES NOT SING!" He shrieked.

Dib chuckled and nudged Zim forward. "C'mon, Alien Scum. Just sing one song and you're done."

Said 'Alien Scum' turned to glare at Dib. Then he was led up to the front of the room by the music teacher.

"What should Zim sing?" he asked the teacher uncertainly.

The teacher looked at him with dazed eyes. "Well... your foreign right?"

Zim glanced at Dib, who shrugged. "Uh, yes. Zim is... foreign. Zim is from very, _very_ far away."

The teacher smiled. "Can you sing in your native tongue?" she asked, giggling like a school girl for no reason at all.

"Er... well... sure." Zim looked a bit concerned, but nodded anyway.

The teacher clapped her hand together. "Wonderful! Class, Zim is going to sing for us!"

All the students, who a moment ago were causing absolute chaos, fell deathly silent. Zim swallowed thickly.

"This is, er, a song that the sme- children of Zim's home learn when they're small. It's in... my native language."

He swallowed again, then sighed. Then he opened his mouth, and sang.

Dib stood in his corner, listening to Zim sing. True, he didn't have the best singing voice in the world, but still Dib stood his corner, transfixed at the music coming from Zim. Zim's language was mostly harsh clicks and pops, but their music seemed to be only slightly different from English songs. Zim's voice rose and fell in long, uncracked notes. It was, overall, beautiful.

With a long, last note, Zim's voice fell and the song was over. All the children, including Dib, stood in silence and awe. Then the kids resumed their madness, and Zim sidled back over to his corner with Dib. "What was _that_?" Dib asked Zim incredulously.

Zim glanced away, and Dib caught a flash of hurt in his eyes. "What Zim's singing not good?" he asked quietly.

"N-no! I mean yes, I mean-!" Dib stopped. "Zim, your singing was fine, but... but what was that song you sang?" He asked.

Zim looked at him from the corner of his eyes. The kids in the room were yelling and screaming and the teacher was long gone, behind the school to smoke things.

"It's a song that all the smeets on Zim's planet learn. It's like..." Zim struggled to find an Earth comparison.

Dib thought fast. "Mary had a little lamb?"

Zim shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

They stood in silence for a moment before Dib spoke. "What does it mean in English?" he asked.

The alien beside him was silent for a moment, before he sang softly:

"The stars sparkle in the sky,

The moons spin 'round,

Everything will fall into place.

I am destined for greatness

I strive to be my best

Wonder fills me up

There is no stopping me.

I am Irken, I am amazing

I am Irken, I am beautiful

I am Irken, I am tall."

Then they were silent.

"Th...that's beautiful, Zim." Dib said softly.

Then Zim looked at Dib and they just looked at each other and then their lips touched in a brief, chaste kiss.

Zim pulled away. Dib's cheeks were crimson. They stood there in their corner and watched the oblivious students run around and cause chaos.

Then Dib, hesitantly, reached out and took Zim's clawed hand in his own.

Zim smiled. Perhaps this plant was worth invading after all...


End file.
